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19
Ashlee
We were so close to hitting send, I was vibrating with anticipation. My fellow writers, Magellan, Jim Dwyer, and Stacy Landau were pacing in the space between our cubicles while Jayna sat at my temporary workstation, finishing the last of the formatting.
My cell phone rang. We all jumped. My heart dropped into my stomach. It could only be bad news. I answered after the first ring.
“TJ.”
“Get everyone into your office,” he said without preamble. “Take anything you need. Laptops, phones… Grab a fire extinguisher off the wall if you can.”
“There’s a fire?” I was already motioning for everyone to collect their things. “Into my office,” I told them. “The laptop, too, Jayna. Magellan, grab that fire extinguisher.”
They were stunned into obedience.
“No fire,” TJ told me. “That’s for protection if necessary.”
“Shit,” I muttered.
“Jensen’s triggering the fire alarm. Do not evacuate. Barricade your office door, hunker down, and publish the article. Do not open the door for anyone other than me or someone on the team you know.”
“On it,” I said.
“You’ve got this,” he told me, then he hung up.
I was the last one into the office. “Help me move the desk in front of the door,” I told Magellan. When it was in place, I motioned to Jayna. “Set up the computer here and finish formatting. We hit send on schedule.”
“Mind telling us what the hell is going on?” Stacy asked.
“The fire alarm is going to go off,” I answered. As if on cue, the blaring began. “There’s no fire, but there is some other danger. We’ll stay here until help arrives.”
Magellan pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll call 9-1-1.”
I laid my hand over his phone. “No need. They’ve already been alerted.” By now, TJ would have called in the FBI and anyone else he could think of to help us. More importantly, his team would be moving into place to protect us from whatever shit was about to hit the fan.
On the other side of my office wall, people were pounding down the stairs, evacuating the building.
“You’re sure we should stay put?” Magellan asked.
I nodded, although I shared his fear. If anyone other than TJ had told me to shelter in place, I would have disregarded the advice and exited through the fire door by now. But if ever there was a time I was going to obey his orders, this was it.
“The calvary is coming,” I promised my team.
From somewhere nearby, there was an explosion, shattering glass, and shouting voices. It wasn’t HEAT. That wouldn’t have entered in such a loud and obtrusive way. There were shouting voices coming our way.
I handed the fire extinguisher to Magellan and told him to guard the door. I pulled out my cell phone. “Jayna, how’s that coming?”
“Just a few more minutes.”
I hoped she was right because I wasn’t sure we had much more time than that. I hit TJ’s number. He picked up before the end of the first ring.
“We’re in trouble,” I said. “Someone’s on the fourth floor, and I’m pretty sure it’s not you.”
“Fuck me,” at least ten voices muttered.
Someone knocked on the door and shouted, “Fire department!”
“Do not open that door!” TJ said. “I’m in the building, almost there.”
